FairfaxCountyWins First Placein the Change a
Light Campaign

CountyEmployeesWill Prevent the Emission of 377,100
Pounds of Greenhouse Gases

Fairfax County won first place in the County Change a Light Campaign,
which encourages county employees to use energy-efficient fluorescent
light bulbs in their homes.

More than 400 Fairfax County employees will replace a single
incandescent light bulb with a florescent bulb, thanks to the county’s
Facilities Management Department.

This simple action — changing a single bulb — can change the world.
Collectively, county employees will prevent the emission of 377,100
pounds of greenhouse gases, as well as save 118,159 Kwh of energy. These
employees also will save a total of $11,815.80 in energy costs.

Fairfax County won in the “large county” category for jurisdictions with
more than 500,000 residents. The two-month nationwide competition was
sponsored by the National Association of Counties, which challenged
employees for the nation’s 3,066 counties to use florescent bulbs. NACO
is a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s national
Change a Light Campaign.

Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross accepted the award on behalf of
the county on Oct. 4. Gross chairs NACO’s Solid and Hazardous Waste
Subcommittee and serves on the Energy, Environment and Land Use
Committee. She also chairs the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’
Environmental Committee. Environmental protection is one of the board’s
six top priorities.

The EPA says that using energy-efficient light bulbs, marked with the
ENERGY STAR label, benefits the environment. If every American household
used just five florescent light bulbs, they could prevent greenhouse gas
emissions equal to more than 8 million cars.